In a rather unsurprising move, WWE officially released Rikishi yesterday. Most believed WWE would either release Rikishi, or at the very least, watch his contract run out. Apparently, they went with the former.

Although Rikishi was recently cleared to return from injury, there was a feeling amongst management that Rikishi did not work to quickly return from his ankle injury due to the fact that he had a high downside guarantee. He also got into heat for working an indy show without clearance. A final issue was Rikishi's apparent refusal to lose weight for a new gimmick.